Hunter's Guide to Being a Hunter
by UknownHero
Summary: A guide written by a Monster Hunter, for Monster Hunters. Includes everything from monsters to tips, this guide will be useful to any hunter, newbie or veteran. Any and every topic will be covered in this guide.
1. Intro

Hello.

Right here in your hands the **Hunter's Guide to Being a Hunter**.

_What does that entail_, you may ask?

Simply put, this book is a guide to being a Monster Hunter. Self-explanatory, isn't it? I started writing this book because of how many greenhorns out there get themselves killed over very avoidable mistakes as well as help out veteran hunters with any new concepts that seem to pop up. In these changing times as monsters become more and more dangerous, we must adapt and overcome the challenges the world wants us to face.

However, we must acknowledge that the monsters we hunt are a part of nature, like we are. We are not on the top of the food chain, despite the fact we have done such incredible feats in the few years we have existed.

Ultimately, nature is the greatest hunter to ever live. We must respect nature, work with it, or else it will punish us for such hubris. Keep this in mind, even when facing down the most powerful of Elder Dragons. Each and every creature in this world are just trying to live, even to the detriment of others.

But also remember, we must stop nature and take it into our own hands.

It's a balancing act, but rest assured, it'll be fine as long we do not replicate the acts of our ancestors.

Also, please note that my name isn't _Hunter_. This is a guide from a Monster Hunter for a Monster Hunter. Hunter seems to be a rather common name as I am just discovering.

Anyway, within this book, we will cover topics from inventory management to specific species, from here to the New World. Since I'm just covering topics that comes to mind, please refer to the index to find the topic you're looking for.

And remember, to all hunters, **you are never alone.**


	2. Starting Out

This chapter will be for all the greenhorns, the ones freshly off the boat and ready to step forth into the world of monster hunting.

Now, things may feel overwhelming at first but rest assured, you'll get used to your new home very quickly. Go around, talk to people, learn where places are (specifically the Canteen or similar, the Smithy and your Guild official quest giver). It's imperative that you get to know to locals and people who will be helping you on your way to being a great hunter.

Additionally, make yourself comfortable at your living quarters and remember to go there to relax between your quests. Being a monster hunter is great and all but please be aware that even the best of hunters need a break. I, myself, am guilty of going several days straight of hunting. The Guild does praise a good work ethic but you will burn yourself out eventually. Take breaks.

Now that you've familiarized yourself with your new home, let's get you prepared for your first big hunt.

Usually you'll be given some easy quests to start you out. Gather X amount of Blue Mushrooms. Slay X amount of Y. Not really glamorous, or exciting, but it allows you a chance to gain knowledge of your hunting grounds and get some material for a new piece gear. Don't take these quests for granted. Go out and gather herbs, mushrooms, ore, everything. Slay an Aptonoth or two and gather their meat. Take care of the most aggressive smaller monsters and skin them for their hides. Go and fish for a few hours. Everything you do and gather will be important for the future. Do not throw away anything. Even Insect Husks can be used for something. And at least you're getting paid to do this busy work. And afterwards, you can freely explore the area and see all the nooks and crannies you may have passed over.

You should know every area like the back of your hand.

But enough of that, eventually, you're gonna have to earn your title of Monster Hunter by doing just that: Hunt a Monster.

I recommend doing your first quest alone. Having friends or strangers along to help you is nice and makes hunting far more easier, however you should experience your first hunt alone. Experience is what wins out over having powerful gear and if you're relying on your allies, you'll become a burden to your team. Remember, **you are never alone **but make sure you're up to scratch. Your team is relying on you as much as you are relying on them.

A positive, can-do attitude can only get you so far. You need to be prepared for your first hunt because this is where the highest mortality rate of hunters occurs. Getting dumped back to your base camp may feel humiliating, but at least you'll be _alive_. Those Palicos can only do so much, and there will be a time where they can't save you. The solution: Don't make such a situation occur in the first place.

So first off, your weapon. The thing that you will use to attack and wear down your prey. It is required by the Guild that you should have all basic types of weapons available to you. It can vary from region to region, place to place, but you should be equipped with various weapons at your disposal from the get-go.

But which weapon should you pick?

You should be carrying your Hunting Knife at all times, which also doubles as a decent enough sword when paired with a shield. It's not recommended you do this for long however as Hunting Knives are expensive as Elder Dragon crap and you are expected to return it once you retire... or it will be retrieved from your corpse (or whatever is left of it). The Hunting Knife must only be used to carve the parts of monsters, not as your primary weapon.

Okay, that may seem like I'm saying don't use the good old sword and board, I'm not, but just something to consider. Sword and Shield is a great beginner weapon. It may not excel in... anything, but does do well at everything where other weapons fail (please see the Sword & Shield chapter for more details).

Anyways, where was I? Oh yes, your first weapon. Well... the easiest answer I can give is... find one you like and stick with it.

I will be covering specific weapon types later in the book, however all I can say right now is find the weapon you're the most comfortable with and learn it. Some hunters will only use one weapon type while others choose to have many, but there will be people who say that X weapon is the best weapon a hunter can have.

It isn't.

That type of mindset gets people _killed_.

The best weapon is the one you're the most familiar with. If you can take down a Great Jagras, you can take down a Fatalis.

Now, the Guild is constantly researching new weapons and new techniques, and not every weapon will be the best when facing certain monsters, so don't be afraid to experiment once in a while. I personally am a Great Sword wielder, however I have dabbled in Charge Blade and Dual Blades in the arena.

Now, what _is_ important is your items, the stuff you bring into your hunts. The number one rule of monster hunting is **always be prepared. **Do not think you can just go in and win. You will get your ass kicked if you haven't taken the time to gather supplies and thoroughly plan out your hunts.

You should be very aware of the flora (and most importantly) fauna in the area before you even accept that quest. Take the time to study the monsters in the hunting grounds. Observe them, see what types of ailments and blights they can inflict, what habitats they usually are. You should not be fighting them unless you are prepared or suicidally overconfident. You'll eventually hunt them down soon, just not now.

Take the time to craft any item you may need. Antidotes, Potions, Mega Potions. And don't forget to cook up some Well-done Steak. Don't bother shopping for items unless you need to like for trap tools or the like, that zenny can be better used in upgrading your gear.

Speaking of gear, you should already be replacing your current set for something stronger. That armour on your back when you stepped off that boat is not suited for hunting larger monsters.

However, keep your load light when equipping yourself. Only bring the necessary items you definitely need in your hunts because you are going to need as much space in your pouch for all the items you _do _need or collect on the field. You do not need Antidotes if there is nothing to get you poisoned. You also don't need Hot Drinks in a desert. You don't want to be caught off-guard digging through your pouch trying to get the necessary item in time.

I do recommend bringing Potions and Mega Potions, as well as the ingredients to make more Potions and Mega Potions. Having that many potions on you is necessary sometimes on more difficult hunts and you will not have the time to gather those ingredients on the field, even if they are available. Just bring as many healing items as you think is necessary.

Also, Dung Bombs unless you're in an arena. Collect all monster poop you come across. You'll thank me later.

Anyways, after you've spent all that time preparing yourself, your next stop should be the Canteen before you head out. A hunter must never hunt on an empty stomach! You should try and focus on getting a meal that improves your defence and survivability. Offense comes a little later.

Alright, now you should be ready for your first big monster hunt. Congratulations! Now, a companion may or may not join you on your quest, a Palico or a Shakalaka etc. They will be covered in a later chapter but all you should know for now is they are there to help and support you, but you will be doing most of the damage.

Onto hunting your first monster! _Percussit Illud, Donec Moriatur_!

Once you track down your target, the first thing you should do is attack it, right?

NO!

At least, not without a little bit of forethought.

Monsters will not go hostile until you give it a reason to be hostile. So you better make that first attack count. Should you aim for the legs to give you a head start in toppling it later in the battle? Maybe you should aim for the head, the weak spot of many monsters? Or how about the tail, where it can be severed off to carve off more materials? In the end, it is up to you... but I usually aim for the tail if can be severed. It can't, go for the legs. It's much safer than the head.

That where the fireballs usually come out of.

Unless you're wielding a hammer, then aim for the head.

Now, as you're fighting your target, you should be focusing on _tearing them apart_. Break their legs, destroy the scales on their head and back, anything that can be damaged you should be attacking. MAKE THEM CRY AND COLLECT THEIR TEARS! They result in more rewards after your quest is accomplished, and that's always a good thing. Just don't get distracted by the shiny things until it is safe enough to do so.

Or don't. I don't follow my own advice most of the time.

Just keep your weapon sharp, your health up and yourself well-fed. You will not be downing your target in a few hits and the time you're given is more than enough for any normal assignment.

Though, you should still aim for the legs. Toppling monsters is important and something you should always do.

Anyways, soon enough, your target should be limping when they retreat. This is sign that they are close to being slain and are usually going to go off and take a nap. That's your prime opportunity to slay it or capture it.

If you want to slay it, make sure your bring Barrel Bombs. As many as you can and are allowed to set down. Monsters take way more damage when asleep, so blowing them up in the middle of their nap is a great way to finish them off or at least severely weaken them so you can stab their eye out.

But what about capturing it? The Guild rewards hunters more for capturing rather than slaying their target so you should considering bring trap and tranquilisers just in case. Actually, you should be bringing traps on every hunt anyways unless you're facing an Elder Dragon. It allows at least some time to heal, maintain your weapons or even deal some extra damage. Sometimes it is easier to just capture your target than to kill it and some quests require you to capture your target.

Just be aware, tranquilisers have been known to kill the hunter's target and have caused many failures. As soon as it starts limping, stop attacking and let it go to where it sleeps.

Well either way, either slay your quarry or capture it, you'll have hunted and conquered over your first monster! Feel that rush? Feel that excitement in your blood after finally taking down your first monster?

Treasure that feeling. Let out a primal roar. Celebrate. Because it's only uphill from here. With every hunt, you will learn more and more about how to approach every situation and will provide a new challenge you must overcome. You will figure out how you like to hunt down your foes if you haven't already. You may face a wall on occasion, but remember: **you are never alone**. Talk to other hunters on how they've taken down their prey, research monsters ahead of time way before you even need to face one and don't be afraid to team up and hunt together. There will always be people willing to help you out, and if you first don't succeed, try and try again.

A hunter never gives up. And neither should you.


	3. The Slinger

The slinger.

A recent development in technology currently exclusive to the Research Commission and their hunters.

It's one of the most versatile tools ever made if a hunter knows how to use it and use effectively, taking advantage of the environment.

Let's cover all the topics relating to the slinger.

First off, general use and how it can help you in your hunts in general.

Now, slingers are integrated in all armour so you're never leaving home without one. However, you have to gather some ammo in order to use it. Stones, redpits, whatever. Monsters may even drop special ammo you cannot find anywhere else. Just something you can stuff into that thing. However, your flash bombs, dung bombs and screamer bombs must now be crafted as pods to use as ammo.

You can use it to set off bombs from a safe distance, do a little damage if you're running away, hook onto the more larger bird-like monsters (once they're stunned that is) and various other actions that will be further explained soom.

Just make sure you have ammo in your slinger in general. Here's a few reasons why.

When you are pinned, you can fire off your slinger at the monster, distracting just enough to get up before they crush you with their jaws.

Remember, **when pinned, fire your slinger and you get up faster than usual.** Knowing this saved me more times than I can count.

Also, you can fire your slinger to cause rocks to fall on your target. Look for odd looking rocks on the ceiling and when the monster is under it, hit it with your slinger to cause a topple.

It can also be use safely gather Kelbi horns and hunt small bug monster without causing them to explode provided you have the appropriate ammo.

Now, you should watch out for endemic life called "Wedge Beetles". They're in every region, and hunters use them to swing around by firing at their grappling hook at them to make traversal faster and sometimes gain access to hidden areas.

Now, with the existence the Hinterlands, the Commission has seen it just to upgrade the slinger and teach hunters some new moves. Now, the slinger is integrated into some weapons' moves. For example, a Great Sword user make fire off their slinger after an attack and instantly go into the True Charge Slash.

For those who have proven themselves to the Commission, your slinger will be given a new function: The Clutch Claw.

The standard slinger manipulates the environment to the hunters' advantage. The Clutch Claws allows the hunters to manipulate the monsters to their advantage.

The Field Team Leader will give you a rundown on use of the Clutch Claw, so having these lessons in written form isn't the best way for you to learn but here's the basics.

Monsters will suddenly back off after they're hit with a particularly powerful attack. If it's panting and standing back, it's the perfect opportunity to use your Clutch Claw.

You can use the Clutch Claw to grapple onto a monster. There are multiple parts of the monster you can grab onto, but it will usually be the head, the body, the legs and the tail. Now, there are a few things you can do when you are on it.

The first one is to attack with your weapon. I'm not sure, but not all weapons can do this. I think it's only for Blademasters so correct me if I'm wrong but by attacking the monster, you weaken that body part, making it vulnerable to further attacks and increases your chances of breaking that part. This might even be necessary as there will be monsters with tough hides that your weapon will bounce right off, so if that does happen, grapple on and weaken that part. However, this effect won't last long so you better take advantage of it before you have to do it again.

The second is attack with your Clutch Claw. Now, you must be on the monster's head and this only works if the monster isn't ready for the Clutch Claw attack, so you should only use it at the start of the hunt and when the monster is tired. By doing this, you force the monster to turn roughly 90 degrees. Great for guiding it into traps and walls. It can even weaken a body part if there's been enough damage dealt to the part already. However, if the monster does not react to the Clutch Claw, go and attack with your weapon. You will not be able to do the third move.

Speaking of which, the third is fire your slinger, otherwise known as a Flinch Shot. Again, you should only use it on the monster's head. If the monster reacts to attacks with your Clutch Claw or you have a feeling, you can fire off all the ammo in your slinger and force it to run forward, maybe into a trap. But what you're looking for are walls. Monsters take a lot of damage if they run into a wall, automatically topples them and you will always get a drop from it. Be warned though, make sure the monster is close enough to a wall. If you don't, it will manage to stop itself eventually and not only does it annoy your teammates, you lose the opportunity for major damage that can make the hunt over faster.

Again, you want to have ammo in your slinger. Any ammo, just something. Just do not use your pods. They are not as effective as ammo you find on the field and general won't work. Plus, your pods are better off being used as intended.

Speaking of which, let's talk about the types of ammo that the slinger can use. I'll just give a brief description and tip on each type.

**Stones:** Weak slinger ammo, but has a variety of uses. You can use them knock your fellow hunters out of their stunned states, hit various plants such as Poisoncups and Vitalillies and can very rarely stun large monsters. Very common, you can usually find some right outside your camp. Just ammo up and go, and replace it soon as you can.

**Brightmoss:** It marks monsters, allowing you to see them underwater or even blind them if hit the eyes. Never found any use for them and my Flash Pods do more for blinding. Don't bother.

**Redpit:** I've been told they do much damage than stones but you can't carry as many and they're only available in more forest-like areas. Just like Stones, pick 'em if you have nothing in your slinger.

**Scatternuts:** Causes monsters to flinch. Hit the monster in the middle of an attack and you'll stop them dead cold. You can also anger monsters enough to get them to fight you instead of fleeing. However, scatternuts are usually on vines so you may need to use other ammo to get them down to use as ammo or stun the monster that way.

**Torch Pod:** The arguably more useful brother of Torches that the Guild has (hopefully) gotten rid of in Supply Boxes. It causes fire damage, so it can soften up the hardened armour of a Lavasioth and, in the Rotten Vale, create a temporary area safe from effluvium.

**Bomb Pod:** Dropped by monsters like Rathalos and Dodogama or Bomb Beetles. Deals some decent damage and causes monsters to flinch like Scatternuts. Also, great ammo when using slinger bursts.

**Piercing Pod:** Dropped by various monsters like uh... I don't know, but you can also grab some off of Emer. As the name implies, it pierces the monster, causing considerable damage and causing a flinch. Just make sure to fire at the monster lengthwise to deal the most damage.

**Slinger Thorn:** This ammo type sticks to monsters after being fire. Fire the thorns are hit, it deals bonus damage and helps with stunning the monster if you managed to get them in the head. Hammer users, I've got ammo for you.

**Dragon Pod:** Only dropped from Elder Dragons. It deals Dragon elemental damage, but can also seal off the abilities of Elder Dragons like weapons with Elderseal on them. Don't ask questions. Just use it.

**Flash Pod: **Flash Bomb. Stun monsters and cause them fall out of the sky. Stronger monsters gain immunity to them after getting flashed once or twice, or are just immune all together. Don't over use your flash pods.

**Dung Pod:** Dung Bomb. Causes monsters to flee in disgust. Necessary in most quests because fighting one monster is trouble enough. Deviljhos hate them as well as all the other invader monsters.

**Screamer Pod:** Screamer Bomb. Only used to force monsters out of the ground. I think. I barely use them, even against the Diablos species.

**Puddle Pod: **Essentially water balloons that allow you to wash mud off monsters. ...Yeah, not much use there.

**Crystalburst:** Basically Scatternuts except only available on the floor of the Elder's Recess.

**Throwing Knives:** They can come in unique flavours such as plain, paralysis, poison and sleep. However, they can only be obtained by finding it on the field or given them, usually in Arena Quests. I don't know why the Guild just doesn't give them to us or at least buy the damn things...

Anyways, that's basically all you need to know about the slinger. Please experiment with it on your next hunt. You may never know how truly useful it is until you try it.

**Addendum**

You first option is to strike it with your weapon. This falls into one of two categories based on you weapon, either light or heavy, with seven in each category.  
Heavy weapons can be used to wound a target's part with a successful attack. Whereas a light weapon requires a second successful attack to wound, instead forcing the monster to drop slinger ammo with the first strike; but remember every monster has a limit to how many pods you can acquire with this method.  
While you can learn which weapons belong to which group by reading the guild provided material during deployment, they're listed in this guide for convenience:  
Heavy: Greatsword, Hammer, Charge Blade, Hunting Horn, Switch Axe, Lance and Heavy Bowgun  
Light: Dual Blades, Sword and Shield, Longsword, Insect Glaive, Gunlance, Bow and Light Bowgun.

Your second option is to strike with the Claw itself, though this is pointless if the monster is enraged as its fury renders attempting to flinch it this way pointless. Further, the only function of this is to turn the monster in the opposite direction of the side you've latched onto and only possible if you land the blow on its head. On its own the only point of this is to enrage a monster with enough strikes. However combined with your third option, it becomes a tool for creating openings against your opponent.

Thirdly, you can unload all of your non-commission slinger ammo, a Flinch Shot, into its head to drive it forward, if the monster collides with a wall or other suitable terrain it will topple, creating a valuable window to strike at a vulnerable monster. Bear in mind however that I said 'non-commission'. Ammo such as knives, even those gathered for Gajalaka, lack the correct force to flinch monster and our pods, be it flash, dung or screamer are designed to break away, releasing their contents not their force; as such, you won't waste your clip but you won't flinch either.

Thank you, uh... SentientShadow for this new info.

They really gotta stop Hunters from naming themselves...


End file.
